Monday, January 31, 2011

Attorneys in the Cobell settlement jacked up their bill in January, more than doubling it, and the United States is now attempting to buy up Indian lands under the settlement.
Indian land owners, long cheated by the US government, will be receiving peanuts. Individual Indians are expected to receive on the average $1,200, of the $3.4 billion settlement.
Native Americans question if the settlement is no more than another US scam to buy up Indian lands.Never sell the landVi Waln said she has already received three letters, with increasing offers. Waln is Sicangu Lakota, editor of Lakota Country Times and lives on the Rosebud Indian Nation in South Dakota.
"I got three letters on the Cobell settlement. And I will get more letters offering to buy my fractionated interests. Every time they send me a letter with an offer to buy the fractionated interests they offer more money. Maybe I will sell if they offer me $99.9 million like the Cobell lawyers are getting," Waln said.
"But then again I always tell my family to never sell the land, even if the letter says you own only one acre!"Attorneys want a big chunk of the pieNow that the US has agreed to the Cobell settlement, the attorneys, including a large number of non-Indian attorneys, are seeking to more than double their fees.
The $3.4 billion class action settlement, Cobell v. Salazar, seeks to resolve claims related to Individual Indian Money (or IIM) accounts and land held in trust by the federal government for the benefit of individual Indians.
The attorneys now say that $99.9 million isn't enough. On Jan. 25, the attorneys asked a presiding judge for far more: $223 million plus $1.3 million in expenses and costs (see court petition below.)
Although some of the attorneys are Native Americans, the majority are not.
Washington solo practitioner Dennis Gingold and a team of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton attorneys told a judge their fees should be more than doubled.
The National Law Journal online reports, "Kilpatrick Chairman William Dorris in Atlanta, who bills at $690 an hour, revealed in court records the hourly rates for nearly 100 current and former partners, associates and counsel in Washington; Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Atlanta, among other cities."
Ben Carnes, Choctaw in Oklahoma, questions why the United States isn't paying the legal fees.
"What is absent to me is why the defendants (US Government) isn't paying the attorney fees, which is what is usually requested in civil actions. Unless the negotiations in the settlement were that their payday came from the plaintiffs.
"There has been an argument that many of the current plaintiffs have passed on since the filing of this case, but that has been going on for more than a hundred years. If there is a fear they won't get money in hand before their deaths, then it disturbs me. One should never give up just so they could be bought out."What about criminal charges?
Carnes said he views the settlement as a cover-up, aimed at protecting the criminals involved in the theft and fraud of billions of Indian dollars.
"My opinion of the Cobell settlement is that it is a cover-up. There is no doubt that to do an historical accounting would be a monumental undertaking, but the costs would be more than dollars.
"It could cost careers, expose covert illegal activities and where possible, lead to a demand for federal indictments. Someone mentioned that during the Iran-contra hearings evidence was revealed that funding had been diverted from our accounts.
"As to the fractionated lands issue, I was told that the lands purchased would be turned over to the tribal government as a part of the consolidation. Since these entities are created by the federal government, it wouldn't be a far stretch to think that the federal government could 'lease' these lands more easily than dealing with heirs."
"Another aspect I haven't seen mentioned here is that when notices are sent out, and if an heir couldn't be reached, they will lose out anyway. These lands will be purchased at fair market value, but when these lands are gone, they will be gone."
Through the years, whistleblowers, including one at the BLM in Farmington, N.M., exposed the fact that the amounts of oil and gas being extracted from the Aneth, Utah, oil and gas fields on the Navajo Nation, were intentionally underreported to benefit the corporations. Navajos in Aneth had long protested the hundreds of oil and gas wells around their homes that were poisoning their families.Sweetin' the pie: Indian scholarshipsThe dangling carrot of the offer of Indian scholarships was supposed to sweeten the pie, but American Indians aren't buying that either. They've seen these vague scholarship offers fall by the wayside, or end up with most of the funds going into the pockets of CEOs and for travel, or squandered in more fraud.
Theresa Yarbrough listed many concerns over the settlement.
"The scholarship fund is nothing more than dangling an apple in front of the lead plow horse," Yarbrough said.
The vague wording in the settlement states: "Depending on the level of participation in the land consolidation program, up to $60 million will be set aside to provide scholarships for higher education for American Indian and Alaska Native youth."
The truth is, "up to $60 million," is vague wording and means anything less than this amount.US seeks to benefit from its crimesYarbrough points out that the United States would never enter into the Cobell settlement, unless it benefits the United States.
In the settlement, as usual, the US states that it has done nothing wrong.
"They agree to settle, they don't believe they have committed any crime or wronged anyone," Yarbrough pointed out.
"Another thing wrong with this is that the settlement allows for a huge amount of the monies to establish a new government program that will be used to buy up fractionated lands. This is nothing more than another land acquisition movement," she said. "Unless the land is returned to the Indians with a land patent, and all mineral and resource rights, it is still property of the United States," she said.
Native Americans point out that the US can not be trusted. Further, they point out that tribal governments are entities manufactured by the US government. When it comes to land, and revenues from energy, many Native Americans feel neither the tribal government nor the US government can be trusted.
Although the settlement says the newly-acquired lands purchased will become a "benefit" to the tribes, beware. The US also considers toxic waste dumps as good economic development for Indian country.
It is the purchase of fractionated interests that is a red flag among many.
"Under the Settlement Agreement, $1.9 billion will fund a Department of the Interior program to buy fractionated interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers to benefit tribal communities and aid in land consolidation."
Yarbrough said what the government is really saying, with the land acquisition is: "We will benefit from your lands and keep you from leaving it to your heirs."Grassroots Natives remain uninformedThe settlement comes with many warnings that may never reach the grassroots Native people who live without electricity or Internet. For some, English is a second language. Still, if they don't opt out, they are considered part of the settlement.
"Individuals wishing to keep their right to sue the federal government over mismanagement claims covered by the settlement must exclude themselves from the settlement by April 20, 2011," according to the settlement.Hush moneyAs with any settlement, this means an end to claims.
"Settlement means just that, once the deal is accepted, the issue is settled, put to rest, and can never be brought up again," Yarbrough said.Crumbs again for the people
As more is learned about the settlement, it increasingly resembles some of the casino negotiations.
These resulted in casino management companies and the states receiving fortunes from lucrative casinos. The grassroots Native people whose tribes operate lucrative casinos, including the Tohono O'odham, continue to live in desperation, seeking food, homes and jobs, while profits go to casino management companies and large percentages to the states.MoreUPDATE Feb. 2, 2011: Cobell is holding meetings with land owners:http://64.38.12.138/News/2011/000330.aspCurrent payout information for landowners:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/court-ordered-notification-in-34-billion-indian-trust-settlement-to-begin-114639824.htmlAttorneys petition for increased fees:"This fee petition is submitted by plaintiffs on behalf of Dennis M. Gingold, Thaddeus Holt and the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP, including William E. Dorris, Keith M. Harper, Elliott H. Levitas, David C. Smith, Adam H. Charnes, G. William Austin and Justin M. Guilder (collectively, “Class Counsel”) in accordance with the terms of settlement. Work after December 7, 2009 will be the subject of future applications.Court petition:http://www.indiantrust.com/docs/20110126_petitionbrief.pdfNational Law Journal: Cobell attorneys seek $223 millionhttp://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202480032511

Contact: Robin Silverrsilver@biologicaldiversity.org(602) 799-3275 (Photo: Mount Graham website: www.mountgraham.org )Action in support Winona LaDuke's presentation at NAU campus on Feb 1st. Protest rally to stop NAU desecration and extinction on Mount Graham!When: Tues. February 1.Gather at 5:00 PMWalk starts at 6:00 PMWhere: NAU High Country Conference Center located at 201 West Butler Avenue.Meet outside near Butler Ave and Conference Center main entrance.Look for banners.Why: The Mount Graham telescope project desecrates a central Apache religious site. It destroys and fragments the old growth forest heart of an endangered species' critical habitat.Northern Arizona University is a partner in the projects centerpiece Large Binocular Telescope.NAU administration has ignored previous attempts to address this issue.Please join us!Who: NAU students, faculty and concerned community members. Elders from San Carlos Apache will be in attendance.This action is being supported by: Center for Biological Diversity, Mount Graham Coalition, and Indigenous Action Media.Plan: Walk from Conference Center to Winona LaDuke's speech at ArdreyAuditorium (ticket necessary for admission: http://nau.ticketforce.com/ordertickets.asp?p=432&backurl=default.asp)Contact: NAU President Haeger and urge him to respect the Apache, to save the Mount Graham red squirrel and to get NAU out of the Mount Graham telescope project.Phone: (928) 523-3232 Email: John.Haeger@nau.eduFurther Info: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/mount-graham-red-squirrel-12-22-2010.htmlNAU OFF MOUNT GRAHAM! PROTECT SACRED SITES!Background:For the Apache, Mount Graham or Dzil nchaa si' is of central sacred importance to the Western Apache as a geographical landform, as a burial ground, and as home to the Gaahn (mountain spirits). Mount Graham is also sacred in very specific locations. One of these sites is Emerald Peak where the centerpiece Large Binocular Telescope (formerly the Columbus telescope) is now located. NAU is a partner in this telescope which is now visible from the San Carlos reservation.The Mount Graham Red Squirrel is found nowhere else except on Mount Graham. Only a little more than 200 squirrels now survive. The telescopes destroy and fragment the forested heart of the squirrels' essential spruce-fir habitat. Nearly one third of the spruce-fir was needlessly destroyed recently under the guise of protecting the telescopes from fire.

Border Patrol Headquarters Occupation Protesters to Fight ChargesGroup Calls for Further Action Against Border MilitarizationTUCSON -- On February 23, 2011, 2:00 PM at Tucson City Court, five of the six protesters who locked-down and occupied the US Border Patrol Tucson Headquarters on May 21, 2010 are going to trial fighting one count each of "criminal trespassing". One of the six has chosen to take a diversion.

The action was taken, in part, to demand that BP, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), their parent entity, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Obama administration end militarization of the border, end the criminalization of immigrant communities, and end their campaign of terror which rips families apart through increasing numbers of raids and deportations.

Alex Soto, one of the arrestees and member of O'odham Solidarity Across Borders states, "As we did not enter the BP headquarters alone but with prayers of O'odham elders and community supporters, we are asking for support once again for our continued stand against border militarization. Our messaging is the reality for everyone that is forced to feel the pain that borders inflict upon us in our daily lives. The Border Patrol is not the only agency responsible for the militarization of the border – and it's subsequent destruction of Indigenous and migrant communities – or the only benefactors of border militarization." Soto states.

In a previous release O'odham Solidarity Across Borders and O'odham elders stated, "The development of the border wall has lead to desecration of Tohono O'odham ancestors graves, it has divided communities and prevents O'odham from accessing sacred places. Troops and paramilitary law enforcement, detention camps, check points, and citizenship verification are not a solution to "issues" of migration. Indigenous Peoples have existed here long before these imposed borders, elders inform us that we always honored freedom of movement. Why are Indigenous communities and the daily deaths at the border ignored? The impacts of border militarization are constantly made invisible in the media, the popular culture of this country and even the mainstream immigrants rights movement which has often pushed for “reform” that means further militarization of the border, which means increased suffering for Indigenous communities. Border militarization destroys Indigenous communities."

Since the creation of the current U.S./Mexico border, 45 O’odham villages on or near the border have been completely depopulated.

According to the migrant support group No More Deaths, from October 2009 to Sept. 2010 there have been more than 250 deaths on the Arizona border alone.

Actions toward ending border militarization and the decriminalization of our communities:
- Immediately withdraw National Guard Troops from the US/Mexico border
- Immediately halt development of the border wall
- Immediately remove drones and checkpoints
- Decommission all detention camps and release all presently held undocumented migrants
- Immediately honor Indigenous Peoples rights of self-determination
- Fully comply with the recently signed UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Respect Indigenous People's inherent right of migration
- End NAFTA, FTAA and other trade agreements
- Immediately repeal SB1070 and 287g
- End all racial profiling
- No BP encroachment/sweeps on sovereign Native land
- No raids and deportations
- Immediate and unconditional regularization (“legalization”) of all people
- Uphold human freedom and rights
- Support dignity and respect
- Support and ensure freedom of movement for all people

Put this message in action and help end the attack on Indigenous and migrant communities. Take these messages to the street where you are. If you can, join us inside and outside the court room in Tucson at 2:00pm. on February 23, 2011.
Tucson City Court is located at 103 E. Alameda St. Tucson, AZ.

Additional ways to take action in your community to bring awareness to the impacts of the militarization of the border and criminalization of our communities:

3. Organize or attend an awareness or benefit event:
An awareness and benefit show will be held in Tucson on February 22nd at Dry River Infoshop.
A discussion on border issues will be held in Flagstaff, AZ on February 22nd at Taala Hooghan Infoshop.

National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel's State of Indian Nations address earned him the title "Fat Taker," from Lakotas. Mohawk John Kane responded with a reminder that the truths within nature are always there for people to return to, when they have lost their way.

Keel’s address earned him the title “Fat Taker,” for his focus on the Rape of Mother Earth, exploiting the land and resources for profits, without regard to the health of the people or resources such as clean water for future generations.

Debra White Plume, Lakota on Pine Ridge Indian land in South Dakota, said, "Some 'Indians' are Fat Takers in disguise, think nothing about raping Mother Earth, Ina Maka, Unci Maka -- so long as they get the 'best price.'"

Mohawk John Kane said an awareness of nature is there for people to return to.

"Our culture was based on and committed to nature. Those that have tried to transform our knowledge and teachings into beliefs or religion have lost their way. The good news is that nature will always be there to teach even when we fail to."

"We could lose every word or act our ancestors ever tried to hand down and get it all back if we just can return to respecting our relationship to creation. No great spirit, no hocus pocus, no faith; just awareness. Of course we will never lose all that those that came before us tried to leave for us but we certainly can continue to misinterpret things as the last 7 or 8 generations have," Kane said.

NCAI president 'Fat Taker,' for focus on rape of Mother EarthBy Brenda NorrellCensored Newshttp://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/Photo Brenda Norrell/southern borderThere was more news censored in Indian country during the month of January 2011, than any other period in recent history. The lack of real reporting reflects both the sharp decline of reporters in American Indian communities and the increased corporate control of the media.

The abuse of Chief Red Cloud and elderly Lakota women at a secret meeting on the Oglala Tribal Council in South Dakota is the top news story at Censored News. Among the most censored topics in the news this week is the reaction to the address of National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel.

Keel’s State of the Indian Nations address earned him the title “Fat Taker,” from Lakotas, for his focus on the Rape of Mother Earth, exploiting the land and resources for profits, without regard to the health of the people or resources such as clean water for future generations.

Debra White Plume, Lakota on Pine Ridge Indian land in South Dakota, said, "Some 'Indians' are Fat Takers in disguise, think nothing about raping Mother Earth, Ina Maka, Unci Maka -- so long as they get the 'best price.'"

The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council’s passed two resolutions that were censored by most Native American media. The Black Hills Treaty Council demanded the release of Leonard Peltier. A separate resolution rejected the limited and conditional support by the United States of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“In the first paragraph of the ‘support’ statement they make it is clear that the Declaration is in no way a legal document, nor are they bound by it,” the Black Hills Treaty Council said, exposing a fact ignored by most media.

The true war at the US Mexico border, fueled by US corporate profiteering and the xenophobia engineered by politicians and the media, was exposed in the censorship of the trial of the murder of a nine-year-old girl in Arizona.

Brisenia Flores was murdered by Shawna Forde, a female member of the racist anti-migrant hate group the Minutemen, and two other assailants, according to Brisenia's mother who survived gunshot wounds. The trial of Forde is now underway in Tucson. Brisenia's father was murdered during the home invasion south of Tucson in Arivaca near the border.

The US media refuses to expose the real war at the border and the underlying climate of hate toward people of color. The media refuses to report on the danger posed by racist hate groups, including the Minutemen and white separatist groups at the border.

In this mine field of hate, racism and white supremacy, the Minutemen have operated with impunity at the Arizona border. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, the Arizona State Legislature and Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio promote violence and racial hatred. With racist legislation and excessive police force, this trio also provides the private prison industry with profits from incarcerating people of color.

Arizona is a staging area for white supremacy rule in other states.

The assaults and murders at the southern and northern borders are not limited to white separatist militia, but the violence is also perpetrated by US and Canadian border guards and police, especially for American Indians living on the border, including the O‘odham in the south and the Mohawks in the north.

Kahentinetha Horn, 71, publisher of Mohawk Nation News, was recently served with charges after suffering a heart attack from a stress hold applied by Canadian Border Guards at the Akwesasne/Cornwall border in 2008. With no funds to defend herself in court, she pleaded guilty in January to obstruction and the assault charge was dropped. The obstruction charge was then discharged.

Navajos protested outside the uranium-funded inauguration of newly elected Navajo leaders in Window Rock, Ariz. The community of Church Rock, N.M., the site of the deadliest uranium tailing spill in history, is now targeted by Uranium Resources, Inc., for new uranium mining that could poison the water supply of Navajos. The inauguration committee of President Ben Shelly, Vice President Rex Jim and new council delegates, accepted $10,000 from URI. The corporate-friendly Associated Press did not cover the protest.

Navajo filmmaker Arlene Bowman, who now makes her home in Vancouver, BC, responded to the “Mississippi Burning,” style racist attack by Virginia State Police on Leadhorse Choctaw and an Indigenous youth film crew from Akwesasne. The voices of yelling racist Virginia police were recorded.

In her article, Bowman points out how film and video can document the unjust racist attacks of police in the US. Bowman lived with this racism targeting Indians during her years in Los Angeles, where she received a master’s degree in filmmaking. In January, Leadhorse Choctaw served 10 days in jail for obstruction, and then joined the Akwesasne crew and carried blankets and donations to Lakotas at Pine Ridge.

In January, a law firm apologized for one of its attorneys insulting a Yaqui prayer during the memorial for shooting victims in Tucson. “Ugly” was the word that columnist and attorney Paul Mirengoff used to describe the Yaqui prayer in Mirengoff's Power Line blog. Mirengoff is a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, with numerous American Indian clients across the US.

In this week’s top censored news story in Indian country, the Strong Heart Warrior Society said Lakota elders were assaulted and threatened with a gun by Tribal Councilwoman Deborah Rooks-Cook, from the Oglala District. The attack occurred outside a secret meeting of the Oglala Tribal Council, an entity manufactured by the US government.

“Respected Lakota Elders, including Chief Oliver Red Cloud, 89-year-old Marie Randall, Loraine White Face, 69, and 1973 Wounded Knee participant Cecilia Martin, were visiting the tribal offices to request a new building for the elderly in the Porcupine community of Pine Ridge,” the Strong Heart Warrior Society said.

The elders were cursed and hit by the tribal councilwoman, who pulled a gun on them. The police refused to arrest Rooks-Cook.

Carter Camp, Ponca and Wounded Knee warrior responded. “These Elders have been in the struggle for as long as I can remember. They deserve our love and respect. Chief Red Cloud is a powerful voice and the Council better listen to him and his people."

In global Indigenous news, Wikileaks continued to expose the US machinations in the global war on Indigenous Peoples for their resources, as the US media continued to fail.

The US Ambassador in Iceland said Iceland’s support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was an “impediment” to US/Iceland relations at the UN.

In Chile, the US Embassy tracked Mapuche activists and questioned whether the Mapuche struggle encouraged Easter Islanders. The cables also exposed that the US trains police in Chile. Chilean police attacked Easter Islanders, Rapa Nui, on their ancestral lands in December, wounding innocent women and children. In another cable, Peru expresses concern over US arms sales to Chile.

The US Ambassador in Guatemala insulted Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu. The US diplomat claimed the president of Guatemala labeled Manchu a “fabrication,” and blamed her for a death, resulting from the struggle to defend the land. Menchu said the president is a liar during a radio broadcast.

Finally, the US Ambassador in Mexico attempted to state that the Zetas were not trained by the United States as Special Forces. However, the US Ambassador admits that the US can not deny the claim that the US trained Zetas, due to the lack of “paper,” (on black ops) and the fact that one of the Zetas trained by army special forces at Fort Bragg, N.C., was “forcibly” recruited into a life of crime with the Zetas.

The Zetas, the most notorious murderers and torturers in the drug war in Mexico, were originally trained as Special Forces and deserted. The Zetas training was also provided by notorious Guatemalan Kaibiles, who also received training from US Special Forces.

As Indigenous Peoples rise up to fight oppression and the theft of their lands for mining and destruction around the world, the National Congress of American Indians in the US failed the people as its president rallied with the "Fat Takers," and the secrecy and assault at the Oglala Tribal Council exposed the US manufactured tribal councils.Read more articles at Censored News: http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

Saturday, January 29, 2011

We are forwarding the attached Resolution that was passed today by consensus by the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council representing the traditional, non-colonial government of the Lakota Oyate. It was also supported by delegates from the treaty councils of Dakota and Nakota relatives. We send it out to the world with prayers for Leonard Peltier and call for his immediate release while acknowledging all the sacrifices of our warriors fighting for freedom. Hecetu.Kent LebsockCoordinatorOwe Aku International Justice Projectfor Lakota Treaty Justice & Advocacyoweakuinternational@me.com 646-233-4406on the web at www.oweakuinternational.orgRESOLUTIONBlack Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council Resolution Condemning the IllegalImprisonment of Leonard Peltier and Demanding His Immediate ReleaseJanuary 29, 2011 – Prairie Winds Casino, Pine Ridge ReservationWHEREAS, the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Nation Council assembled inquorum along with representatives of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Nationspresent from January 27‐29 2011 at the Prairie Winds Casino on the Pine Ridge Reservation, andWHEREAS, the United States has violated Article I and Article II of the FortLaramie Treaty of 1868, by failing to remove and, or, punish “bad men” who commit wrongs against the Lakota people and by failing to remove non‐tribal members illegally residing in the treaty territory, andWHEREAS, Leonard Peltier was one of a number of warriors who came to thedefense of the Oyate and the traditional government after repeated acts of violence by agents of the United States government and others subject to U.S. government jurisdiction, andWHEREAS, Leonard Peltier’s conviction is built upon fraudulent affidavitscoerced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and bolstered by falsified physical evidence from the F.B.I. lab, andWHEREAS, Leonard Peltier has been illegally held as a political prisoner bythe United States government since 1976,NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council declares that the continued imprisonment of Leonard Peltier by the United States government is illegal, immoral and unjust, andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Councildemands the immediate release of Leonard Peltier.C‐E‐R‐T‐I‐F‐C‐A‐T‐I‐O‐NI, the undersigned Secretary of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, dohereby certify that the above resolution has been approved by consensus of alldelegations of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, effective January 29, 2011.ATTEST: Chief Oliver Red Cloud,

Wikileaks begins Egypt cable releases: Nuba utilizing UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesBy Brenda NorrellCensored Newshttp://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/Photo: Britannica(Jan. 28, 20110 Wikileaks released a cable from the US Embassy in Egypt, describing the Nuba peoples struggle for human rights, utilizing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Nuba said the model is to obtain similar rights to the Aborigines in Australia.
US Ambassador Margaret Scobey describes the launch of the Nuba Mountains People's Forum.
"Leaders of the Nuba community informed Embassy Cairo that they have created the International Permanent Forum for the Nuba Mountains Indigenous People (Nuba Forum) to protect and advocate for the rights of the Nuba people, which they believe are in danger under the NCP regime. Cairo-based Nuba leaders are taking a cautious approach to registering local members of the Forum alleging evidence of surveillance."
The US Ambassador states concern that the events could become a "flashpoint," in the Sudan. Further, Nuba state how an incomplete census will decrease their voice in Egypt's Parliament.
Nuba representatives in Sudan, Australia, Egypt, France, Kenya, Libya, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United States created the Forum to protect and advocate for the rights of the Nuba people. The Forum's agenda is based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Nuba Forum has officially opened offices in Norway, France and Sweden.
Cable:http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2010/02/10CAIRO169.htmlThe UN Refugee Agency states how the Nubians were displaced from their homeland by the building of a dam:Nubians live in the Upper Nile region. When the Condominium Agreement of 1899 fixed the boundary between Egypt and Sudan, Lower Nubians found themselves under direct Egyptian rule and politically separated from their kin to the south. This arbitrary frontier divides the Nobiin-speaking group more or less equally between Egypt and Sudan. Close ties of culture, language and family continue to unite the people north and south of the border, and until the evacuation of 1964 that accompanied the building of the Aswan High Dam there was continual visiting back and forth between them. Egyptian Nubia is part of the Governorate of Aswan which also includes a populous area whose inhabitants are not Nubian. As a result, Nubians have found themselves a minority within their native province.

Resolution of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty CouncilRejection of the United Statesʼ Statement of U.S. Support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

By Black Hills Sioux Treaty Council

Photo Chief Oliver Red CloudOwe Aku International Justice Project, with the support of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, is pleased that the United States announced its “support” of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on December 16, 2011. Although, the United States was the last country in the United Nations to do so, with the “support” of the United States, the Declaration now enjoys, at least nominally, universal support amongst the world family of nations, including the Lakota Oyate.

As newcomers to North America, where Lakota people have lived for thousands of generations, it is only right and fitting that the American people and their government acknowledge their hosts on this continent in a respectful way by supporting our international and inherent rights to land, territory, water, culture, sovereignty, self determination and the enforcement of treaties. We would like to believe that this “support” of the Declaration means a time is coming when the United States, like theLakota Nation, respects and honors all the treaties that have been made between our two nations.

However, a positive reaction to U.S. support did quickly turn to disappointment.

We were dispirited by the unreasonable and inequitable limitations and qualifications placed on the Declaration by the United States in its official statement. In the first paragraph of the “support” statement they make it is clear that the Declaration is in no way a legal document, nor are they bound by it.

Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty CouncilPine Ridge Agency, SDChief Oliver Red Cloud - ItancanAlexander White Plume - EyapahaP.O. Box 535, Manderson, SD 57756 - 605-455-2155“The United States supports the Declaration, which—while not legallybinding or a statement of current international law—has both moral andpolitical force.”1Despite the Presidentʼs optimistic public speech introducing U.S. support, in nearly every sentence of the statement where “support” is indicated, there is a significant qualification or denial placed upon the tenets set forth in the Declaration.[The Declaration] expresses aspirations of the United States, aspirationsthat this country seeks to achieve within the structure of the U.S.Constitution, laws, and international obligations, while also seeking, whereappropriate, to improve our laws and policies.2Which begs the question: under what circumstances would it be inappropriate to improve law and policy? Given the lessons of history, it is clear that not improving laws and policies in the U.S. is often considered inappropriate if it extends equal rights and justice to American Indian peoples and nations. In their statement that purports to “support” the Declaration, they reiterate the U.S. has done nothing but justify continuance of discriminatory policy.The world has long recognized that the United States has lost any moral authority it may have ever claimed with regards to human rights or even the international laws of aggression and peace. This statement is further indication that, rather than leading in the work in human rights, the United States prefers to arrogantly stand outside the circle of nations while demanding that others conform to policies the U.S. is happy to violate.They even manage to get in a comment that reduces Native Americans American Indians (and probably, more significantly, our lands and territories) to an exclusive right of dominion. Apparently the State Department and the President are comfortable referring to American Indians in a subservient, unequal and even proprietary manner. “... few have been more marginalized and ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans—our First Americans.”Not “the First Americans” or simply “First Americans”, but “our First Americans.” This is hardly an accident given the obvious swarm of lawyers that combed through the document adding the numerous limitations.“The decision by the United States to support the Declaration was theresult of a thorough review of the Declaration by the relevant federal1 Announcement of U.S. Support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Initiatives to Promote the Government-to-Government Relationship & Improve the Lives of IndigenousPeoples, p. 12 Id. p. 1agencies.”3In his remarks in November during Native American Heritage month, he acknowledged that:“While we cannot erase the scourges or broken promises of our past, wewill move ahead together in writing a new, brighter chapter in our jointhistory.”4We would respectfully suggest that a good start at moving ahead would be to honestly endorse the Declaration, recognize the human rights of Indigenous peoples, and honor the hundreds of treaties that have been broken. As it stands, the U.S. support of the Declaration is a meaningless shell that permits the American people and their government to continue the colonial policies it has practiced with respect to American Indian peoples since the newcomers, the United States, established its own right to self determination.To expect that we, as Indigenous peoples, would accept anything less isa barely veiled attempt to deny our humanity and to try to somehow convince people that our rights are somehow separate and, in face, unequal to, those of all the worldʼs other peoples.Further evidence of this attitude continues In the most alarming part of the statement of support when the U.S. states:“The United States is therefore pleased to support the Declarationʼs call topromote the development of a new and distinct international concept of self-determination specific to indigenous peoples. The Declarationʼs call is to promote the development of a concept of self determination for indigenous peoples that is different from the existing right of self-determination in international law. 5This is nothing more than saying that, as Indigenous peoples, we are NOT entitled tothe same rights as other peoples. By adding their own unilateral spin on theDeclaration , as though it were a Fox News story, they are stating that the Declarationindeed supports US Federal Indian policy, colonization, disenfranchisement fromresources, and isolation from ecological and economic self-determination.Nonetheless, even dismissing their redefinition of self-determination and the removal ofIndigenous peoples from the rights granted to all other peoples in the world, the U.S.limits even their own narrow definition of self-determination to federally recognizedtribes. This, then, makes the Declaration simply another manipulation in their policy of3 Id. p. 14 Id. p. 15 Id. p. 3domestication, assimilation and colonization of American Indian peoples. There is nochange here.“The Declarationʼs concept of self-determination is consistent with theUnited Statesʼ existing recognition of, and relationship with, federallyrecognized tribes as political entities that have inherent sovereign powersof self-governance.” 6Self-governance refers only to BIA tribal councils that were installed unilaterally by theUnited States government, 7 and owe allegiance and are dependent on Washingtonʼsprograms regarding Indian lands and resources. Their statement on the Declarationactually uses many pages to list the programs they use in this process.In the section entitled “Protection of Naive American Lands and the Environment” 8 theyactually state that although ““some of the most grievous acts committed by the United States andmany other States against indigenous peoples were with regard to theirlands, territories, and natural resources” … “the United Statesunderstands these provisions to call for the existence of national laws andmechanisms for the full legal recognition of the lands, territories, andnatural resources indigenous peoples currently possess. … [The U.S.]“intends to continue to work so that the laws and mechanisms it has put inplace to recognize existing, and accommodate the acquisition ofadditional, land, territory, and natural resource rights under U.S. lawfunction properly and to facilitate, as appropriate, access by indigenouspeoples to the traditional lands, territories and natural resources in whichthey have an interest.” [Emphasis added.]It would be difficult to insert more qualifications and references to U.S. authority overAmerican Indian people. Fortunately this is a written statement, otherwise the waggingof the “forked tongues” would be visible from a satellite in outer space. Part of therights under US law for “tribes” is to have land acquired and held in trust.6 Id. p. 37 Even though the U.S. held elections on the institution of tribal councils, at Pine Ridge it never passed,but was forced upon the people. This does not demonstrate a right to self-determination underinternational law.8 Id. p. 6The Obama Administration claims they have acquired over 34,000 acres of land in trust9on behalf of Indian tribes. They indicate that this is a good thing without acknowledgingthat these lands were illegally taken in the first place through treaty violations and/or theimpacts of genocidal policies. What is not added to the back-patting is that “land intrust” merely continues the same policy of trust land that is given to mining, ranching,and other corporate interests, instead of stewardship by Indian peoples as clearlyoutlined in the Declaration. They even cite the case, City of Sherrill v. Oneida IndianNation10 in which they deny treaty rights based on the Doctrine of Discovery.11 This ishidden under the guise of protecting tribal lands, a clear distortion of the truth.“The United States has also sought to protect tribal lands, and tribaljurisdiction over those lands, in several other court cases, including theCity of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation…” 12Paternalism and colonization are clearly evident again in their discussion of their“training program” for Indians to prepare us “to manage their own natural resources.”An ironic concept since, for thousands of years, Indian nations were capable ofmanaging our resources without U.S. interference. Indeed, it is that very interferencewhich made it necessary for the Declaration to include numerous articles on the rightsof Indigenous peoples to manage, access, conserve and use our resources accordingto our traditions and customs.9 Id. p. 610 City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York, 125 S. Ct. 1478, 148384 (2005).11 United Nations, E/C.19/2010/13, Preliminary study of the impact on indigenous peoples of theinternational legal construct known as the Doctrine of Discovery Submitted by the Special Rapporteur, ¶49.“That the Doctrine of Discovery is still being used as an active legal principle by theUnited States Supreme Court in the twentieth-first century is revealed in the case City ofSherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York58 decided in March 2005, exactly 50 yearsafter the Tee-Hit-Ton ruling. The case involved a dispute over taxation of ancestral landsof the Oneida Indian Nation. During oral arguments, it became clear that the case wouldhinge on whether, in the opinion of the Court, the Oneida Indian Nation “has sovereigntystatus” with regard to the ancestral lands the Oneida Nation had reacquired. Tocontextualize the Courtʼs decision and to decide the sovereign status of the OneidaIndian Nation, the Supreme Court relied upon the Doctrine of Discovery. This is revealedin footnote number one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsbergʼs decision for the Court majority:“Under the ʻDoctrine of Discoveryʼ”, wrote Justice Ginsberg, “... fee title to the landsoccupied by Indians when the colonists arrived became vested in the sovereign — firstthe discovering European nation and later the original states and the United States”. Asdocumented by this preliminary study, the Supreme Courtʼs reference to the Doctrine ofDiscovery places the context for the Courtʼs decision in Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation ofNew York within the Framework of Dominance, dating back to the era of the Vaticanpapal bulls.”12 Supra p. 6, Announcement of the U.S. on the Declaration“Sixteen different tribes, from Maine to Alaska, participated this summer inthe Department of the Interiorʼs Bureau of Indian Affairs Water TrainingProgram. The Training Program is taught by instructors from severalDepartment of the Interior bureaus. The program strengthens tribalgovernments and prepares them to manage their own natural resourceswith qualified tribal government employees who have the necessaryexpertise to help alleviate the shortage of technical expertise on Indianreservations.”13This statement demonstrates how the U.S. utilizes its own self-proclaimed “laws” todeprive us from the protection of international human rights. This particular example ofan agency program designed to “enhance tribal self-determination” is particularly illconceived given the fact that mining projects that are contaminating water and addingdeadly heavy metals and chemicals to the ground water throughout treaty territory, arebeing supported and encouraged by the United States government. “Tribal self determination”has resulted in water contamination over the objections of Indian nationsthat are wholly inconsistent with the Declaration.As to redress, their qualifications are even more imperial and reflect the same attitudeused since 1776. The various cases and acts that they cite as enhancing tribal authorityactually only enhance federally recognized tribes continued dependence on the federalgovernment and an inability to act under the provisions of self-determination set forth asit is defined in the Declaration.“The United States will also continue to implement the many U.S. lawsthat require the agreement of federally recognized tribes or indigenousgroups before certain actions can be taken or that require redress fortakings of property.”14Although they state that they are pursuing efforts to implement laws that “requireredress for takings of property,” they go on to list a series of “new offices to ensureproper implementation of their consultation policies.” Consultations do not address thetaking of property, the violation of treaties or the blatant disregard for basic human rightswhen it comes to Indian people in the U.S.“Tribal” self-determination is a tool designed by the United states that allows them tocontrol the tribes and then allows them to legitimize their actions of treaty violations. Onthe contrary, self-determination is not a concept to be defined by the United States, itsPresident, its Congress or its people. It is an international legal concept that all membernations of the UN adhere to and understand.“[The policies being adopted by the U.S.] demonstrate not only that theUnited States has a well-developed court system that provides a means of13 Id. p. 414 Id. p. 5redress for many wrongs suffered by U.S. citizens, residents and others –including federally recognized tribes and indigenous individuals andgroups -- but also that redress is available from the U.S. Congress underappropriate circumstances. The United States will interpret the redressprovisions of the Declaration to be consistent with the existing system forlegal redress in the United States, while working to ensure thatappropriate redress is in fact provided under U.S. law.”15Again this is a distortion of the reality of the lives of Indian peoples who find themselvesliving within U.S. established borders. As pointed out in many studies and theinterventions and testimonies before the United Nations by Indigenous peoples in manydifferent international forums, neither recourse nor redress can be found within thedomestic legal systems of the United States. On the contrary, the United Statesʼ historywith respect to American Indian nations and peoples, as well as its contemporarydominion of land and resources, also provide ample evidence of the inadequacies ofU.S. domestic policies towards Indian peoples.16United States support of the Declaration is, in fact, harmful when looked at carefully andanalyzed under the guiding principles underpinning purpose of the Declaration.Because of its paternalistic and unsupported separation of Indigenous peoples from thesame rights afforded to all other peoples, the “support” by the United States, should beseen as a warning to Indigenous peoples of true American intentions. Despite theirongoing belief in some kind of moral authority when it comes to rights, especially,human rights, the United States on behalf of its people, continues to stand outside thefamily of nations and insists that other nations adhere to international law andstandards, while they arrogantly interpret everything from torture to colonization in termsof their interests alone. The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council rejects the“support” provided by the United States in its entirety and stand by the principles ofinternational law to which all peoples are entitled and to which all peoples owe a duty toresponsibly act according to those laws and principles.Therefore, be it resolved that:The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council calls upon the United States of America toadopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without inserting unilateralqualifications, limitations, and abrogations that clearly stand in violation to internationallybinding treaties, international treaty law, and international human rights laws andstandards.15 Id. p. 816 See: Towards the International Court of Justice, An Analysis of the Case of the Black Hills Sioux NationTreaty Council on the violations of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868: The Legal and Historical Basis forInternational Adjudication, Owe Aku International Justice Project, 2011.The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council further calls upon the United States ofAmerica to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in solidarity withthe United Nationsʼ member nations that have endorsed it uncompromisingly. Byinserting unilateral qualifications, limitations and abrogations, the United States ofAmerica steps away from the other nations of the world, including the Lakota nation,who seek peace, security and the rule of international human rights standards to bringequality applicable to all peoples. Anything less only demonstrates a U.S. belief that itis not bound by international law nor that it should be held to the same standards ofhuman rights adopted by all other nations.The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council calls upon the world family of Indigenousand non-Indigenous nations to stand with it in urging the United States to reconsider itsposition and apply equitable, just and legitimate standards in the same way the rest ofthe United Nationsʻ members have accepted and adopted the Declaration.C-E-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-NI, the undersigned Secretary of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, do hereby certifythat the above resolution has been approved by consensus of the Oglala Delegation of theBlack Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, effective January 19, 2011ATTEST:! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !Chief Oliver Red Cloud, Itacan! ! ! Frederick Cedar Face, Secretary

• Former Council President Theresa Two-Bulls’ attorney Mario Gonzalezcalls tribal police, asks them to stand down on Councilwoman Rooks-Cook

• Concerns mount that Tuesday’s secret meeting sought to reinstate TwoBulls in council, allow cover-up of graft and corruption in heradministration including the attempted false arrest of traditionalElders in October 2010 for “inciting a riot”

Pine Ridge Reservation, SD – The decades long tinderbox of tenuousrelations between the poor, full-blooded and traditional Lakota peopleand the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) supported Oglala Tribal Councilthat claims to represent them is set to explode as traditional Eldersstumble upon a secret tribal council meeting and are assaulted bycouncilwoman Deborah Rooks-Cook.

On Tuesday, outside a secret meeting of the Oglala Tribal Council, agroup of Elders were physically assaulted and threatened with a gun byDeborah Rooks-Cook, council representative from the Oglala District.

Respected Lakota Elders, including Chief Oliver Red Cloud, 89 year oldMarie Randall, Loraine White Face (69), and 1973 Wounded Kneeparticipant Cecilia Martin, were visiting the tribal offices torequest a new building for the elderly in the Porcupine community ofPine Ridge, but grew confused when they were barred from the secretmeeting.

As they sat outside the meeting, waiting to be told what was beingdiscussed, Oglala District Representative Rooks-Cook stormed outside shaking her fist and verbally chastised them, turning to Chief Red Cloud and asking, “What the fuck is going on?”

“She should have respect for the Elderly people,” said Cecilia Martin,who turns 91 on Sunday and uses a wheelchair to get around. “We don’tsay, not one word. We don’t even know what’s going on!”

Cecilia’s son, Melvin Martin, a 68 year old veteran of the 1973Occupation of Wounded Knee explained, “Elder’s should be able toexpress themselves in Council. Instead, Elders stay outside, knockingon the door. Why is the door closed? Why is this a closed session? Whydo they keep the Elders out? That I can’t understand.”

As Rooks-Cook became more agitated she began to physically push theElders in their chests. As warriors and others arrived to defend theElders, Rooks-Cook brandished a gun and retreated to the judicialoffice to call in the tribal police.

Though Oglala tribal police were called in, Rooks-Cook was notarrested for pushing the Elders or brandishing a gun at them. Later,reports surfaced that Mario Gonzalez, attorney for ousted PresidentTheresa Two Bulls, contacted tribal police and intervened on Rooks-Cook’s behalf. Two-Bulls attempted to arrest many of these sameElders under the false charge of “inciting a riot” after the Eldersrefused to be silenced at an October 2010 council meeting.

Cante Tenza: the traditional Strong Heart Warrior Society of theLakota Oyate (people) intervened to protect the Elders at Tuesday’sincident and has been speaking with groups of traditional Grandmothersand Treaty Council Grandfathers to discuss what action is needed inthe wake of this latest injustice.

Due to slow action by the Tribal Council, Elders are now speaking outfor the immediate removal of Deborah Rooks-Cook while Strong Heartwill seek banishment of Rooks-Cook and her family under thetraditional Flotter (pronounced “Floater”) Law that is supported bythe “Bad Man Clause” of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie between theLakota and the United States.

This winter has also seen more injustices against Elders andtraditional people who have been denied propane heating assistance atthe expense of those with family connections or who exchange illegaldrugs and alcohol to ensure receipt of tribal government benefits.

“In Lakota Country, there is no law for the Lakota people,” Martinexplained. “We have to be careful.”

On Monday, respected Grandmother Wilma Thin Elk (69 years old) wasillegally evicted from her home in the dead of winter, and herattempts to get housing from Tribal Housing have been rebuffed becausethey refuse to accept her Lakota tribal identification and aredemanding South Dakota state ID.

“We are the Oyate (people) who put them in there to get us help, butwe don’t get any help,” shared Cecilia Martin. “This is IndianCountry, it belongs to the Oyate, but they (tribal officials) have norespect for us.”

Strong Heart Warrior headsman Duane Martin Sr. explained, “When tribalofficials violate the human rights of the Elders and the people usingtax payer dollars to abuse them – that’s not right!”

Many Lakota who have watched for decades while the Bureau of IndianAffairs (BIA) supported Oglala Tribal Government has squandered orstolen millions of dollars in U.S. support while alienating and evenattacking full-blooded and traditional Lakota people while dismissingtraditional Lakota governance called customary law.

“I’m Lakota. No one is going to step on me and tell me what to do,”Cecilia Martin said.

Strong Heart with support from the Urban Warrior Society/Black HillsAIM (American Indian Movement) and Autonomous AIM of Rapid City willbe working to support the will of the Elders and bring justice back toPine Ridge and the Lakota oyate (people).Cante Tenza Okolakiciye also known as the Strong Heart Warrior Societyof the Lakota Nation is an ancient Lakota warrior society as well as abroad-based civil rights movement that works to protect, enforce andrestore treaty rights, civil rights, and sovereignty of Native peopleand their communities across Turtle Island. In addition to activistefforts to protect the land and people, each year Cante Tenza collectsand freely distributes shoes, winter coats, school supplies, food, andother support to Oglala Lakota elders, children and families.UPDATE: Councilwoman to Native Sun: "I just lost it ... I just snapped."http://64.38.12.138/News/2011/000341.aspRooks-Cook was charged with disorderly conduct and second degree assault.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

No jail time for Kahentinetha HornJan. 26, 2011By Brenda NorrellCensored NewsOn January 21, 2011, Kahentinetha Horn pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting police officers and obstructing justice. The charges arose when the publisher and editor of Mohawk Nation News was attacked at the Akwesasne Canada-US border on June 14, 2008 by Canadian Border Service Agents (CBSA.)

Her lawyer, Phil Schneider, and the crown attorney at Cornwall Court agreed that if she pleaded guilty to the obstruction, the assault charge would be withdrawn. The judge gave her a sentence of an absolute discharge, with no criminal record.

Background: Kahentinetha had a problem that occurred at the border two and a half years ago one June 14, 2008. She drove to the Canada-US checkpoint on Cornwall Island with two Mohawks, a man and a woman. They were pulled over allegedly because the woman passenger had an outstanding arrest warrant.An hour went by. She said that around 2:15 pm, “We were surrounded by about a dozen flak jacketed, steel toe booted, gloved and well armed special squad."

The male passenger got out and sat on the nearby bench. The customs officers wanted to speak to her female passenger, who was reluctant to get out. The CBSA pulled her out, pushed her to the ground, handcuffed, subdued her and took her away.

Kahentinetha said, “I became afraid for my safety. They had no reason to stop me. When they asked me to get out of the car, I became scared after I saw what they did to her."

The mob of guards came around to her side ordering her to get out without giving a reason. She hesitated.

She told them, “I’ve done nothing wrong, have no outstanding charges, contraband, or reason to be questioned.”

After the treatment of the others who were under her protection, she wondered what they would do the owner of the car. “I told one customs officer after another, “I refuse to be mistreated like my passengers." They gave her no guarantees this was not going to happen to her or worse. She had no independent witnesses.

At a signal from a guy taking orders by cell phone, they pounced on her, pulled her out and started twisting her left arm. The pain was so severe she thought they were trying to break it. She screamed and tried to pull her arm away. (This is all on the Canada Customs video.)

She began to think they were after her, not her passenger. They obviously knew who she was. They kept calling their superiors and must have been told to take her out and arrest her, no matter what.

The question is why did they need so many large male guards to deal with a 68-year old woman? They had taken a long time verifying her age, address, background and car.

“I’ve been through this before with police officers who have tried to put me in hospital or a morgue. There seems to be a lot of anger towards me."They finally dragged her handcuffed behind her back into the customs house where she was out of sight. She was put alone in a cell and treated roughly. One of the guards would tighten the cuffs. He tried to bend her over and push her arm up to stop the blood from circulating into her arms and across her chest. It seemed like they knew what they were doing.

“An officer stood in front of me and tried to pull my head down towards her crotch area. I found that very disgusting." They both kept yelling at her to bend forward.

"What really scared me was I could feel them trying to pull my pants down as I was being bent over. At that moment I saw stars, became dizzy, starting panting and having pains in my shoulder and across my chest and back. I almost passed out," said Kahentinetha. The guards had tasers, which is electric shock that can kill a person. “They thought they could get rid of me without using it," Kahentinetha believed.

It was at that moment her brother, Taiotekane, a lawyer, and his son Kanatase appeared. Everybody backed off. He wanted to talk to her privately. They went to a room. He realized she was having serious physical problems. Her eyes were becoming glazed, her face was flushed and she had a hard time breathing. He demanded she be taken immediately to the hospital.

Mohawk Constable Pyke contacted the emergency team from Hogansburg, New York, who rushed an ambulance. His sister, a paramedic, began to deal with Kahentinetha. Her quick work saved her life.

When she got to Cornwall Community Hospital, doctors told her she had suffered a heart attack. Before this she never had problems with her heart or health. Her heart was damaged permanently. Since then, she had to stop a lot of activities.

Kahentinetha realizes that every indigenous person who crosses the border could be subjected to this treatment. It looks like the CBSA have hired those who have no concern for the lives of those who traverse the border.The border guards deliberately misstated the facts. They knew Kahentinetha’s true age. Yet they described her as being a “large strong 55-year-old woman," which is untrue. Such disinformation is sent out to keep the public uninformed. Don’t believe anything the CBSA says. Beware!.Contact her at:kahentinetha2@yahoo.comAlso read: 'Kahentinetha Horn: Resistance'http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/01/mohawk-kahentinetha-horn-resistance.html

Subject: Environmental Focus Opens Native American Film + Video Festival in New York City Mar 31-Apr 3The New York screening premiere of “Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change” by renowned Nunavut-based director Zacharias Kunuk (“Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner”) and Winnipeg researcher and filmmaker Dr. Ian Mauro (“Seeds of Change”) will open the 15th Native American Film + Video Festival. Produced by the Film and Video Center of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the festival is held at the New York City branch of the museum from Thursday, Mar. 31 to Sunday, Apr. 3. The festival will include some 100 films and an international symposium about endangered indigenous waterways, “Mother Earth in Crisis,” on Friday, Apr. 1.

All programs are free to the public. Reservations are recommended for evening programs.

Screening on Thursday, Mar. 31, “Inuit Knowledge” teams the filmmakers with Inuit elders and hunters to uncover the social and ecological impacts of a warming Arctic. The film will also be simultaneously stream on the Internet courtesy of Isuma TV, an independent network of Native and Inuit media, at http://www.facebook.com/l/410765-6MnFeUEBI-zMPu9G1Omw;www.isuma.tv. Dr. Mauro will be in attendance for the screening and Zach Kunuk will be available via Skype. Both filmmakers will be available to answer questions from audiences worldwide via Twitter.

The day-long symposium, “Mother Earth in Crisis,” features award-winning films on Native perspectives about the fate of the earth and its rivers throughout the hemisphere. The program includes discussion with the filmmakers following each screening and a panel with environmental and indigenous organizations, moderated by Tonya Gonnella Frichner, of the American Indian Law Alliance. Co-presented with Amazon Watch, International Rivers and Rainforest Foundation.

The festival showcases outstanding feature films, short fictions, documentaries, animations and youth works from throughout the Americas. Screenings take place each evening and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Other featured works include “Kissed by Lightning” by Shelley Niro (Mohawk); a a contemporary story based on a traditional tale; “Y el Rio Sigue Corriendo/And the River Flows On” by Carlos Efraín Pérez Rojas (Mixe), an award-winning film from Mexico about communities threatened by a dam project; and the world premiere of “Apache 8,” a documentary by Sande Zeig, telling the story of the first all-female wildland firefighting crew, comprised entirely of White Mountain Apache women.

The 15th Native American Film + Video Festival is a production of the National Museum of the American Indian’s Film and Video Center. The program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. Special support has also been provided by the Ford Foundation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the George Gustav Heye Center, is located at One Bowling Green in New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays until 8 p.m. Call (212) 514-3700 for general information and (212) 514-3888 for a recording about the museum’s public programs. By subway, the museum may be reached by the 1 to South Ferry, the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green or the R to Whitehall Street.www.americanindian.si.edu

In Defense of Raza/Indigenous Studies: Five sentenced, but not guilty!It is the law that is illegal

By Roberto Dr. Cintli RodriguezFour students and myself were just sentenced to 10 hours of community service for a crime we did not commit. More importantly, our act of civil disobedience was in response to an illegal, immoral and unconstitutional law: hb 2281 – a piece of legislation that makes the teaching of Ethnic Studies in Arizona illegal.

Back in May, 15 of us were detained as a result of refusing to leave the 2nd floor of the state building because the state superintendent of schools refused to speak to our community. About a thousand of us – mostly middle, high school and college and university students, plus community members – had been awaiting his arrival earlier at TUSD headquarters where he had come to gloat because Gov. Jan Brewer had just signed an Inquisition-style law that made it illegal to teach Ethnic Studies. Rather than showing, he opted to have an impromptu press conference at the state building instead. Using Martin Luther King Jr. as a prop, he continued, and he continues, to claim that his actions to destroy and eliminate ethnic studies, complies with MLK’s dream of a color-blind society.

Despite the 15 of us doing the same act of civil act of disobedience, we have all been treated differently. Two were outright acquitted. From the original 15, three more remain. They will be tried March 3.

As far as many of us are concerned, the battle over hb 2281 has just begun; the teaching of ethnic studies became illegal on Dec 31 and MAS was ruled out of compliance on Jan 3. We are not only convinced of its illegality, but we are certain of it because of the unambiguous actions of the state legislature. The same day the president came to Tucson, a new Republican-introduced bill (SRC 1010) calls for Arizona to be exempt from international law. As written, it will go to the voters in 2012. The thing is, this issue has already been litigated in U.S. courts. But since when has that stopped our 19th century state legislature?

Yet, that state legislators would attempt to nullify international law in Arizona is outright proof that the forces of hate in and out of the legislature are fully aware that hb 2281, sb 1070 (the legislation that promotes racial profiling) and the efforts to nullify the 14th amendment all are illegal, immoral and unconstitutional. Beyond U.S. laws, src 1010 would violate virtually every international human rights treaty and convention. Under such treaties, the right to education, history and culture is sacrosanct. These treaties are in place in order to protect small nations, peoples and cultures from being swallowed up by larger ones.

At the moment, there is a lawsuit against the state in regards to hb 2281; this involves 11 educators who are challenging the constitutionality of the law (saveethnicstudies.org).

It is also not out of the realm of possibility that a case(s) will be taken to the Organization of American States or the United Nations. What’s at stake here is not simply the right of 11 teachers to teach, but rather, the right of all peoples (students) to education, history and culture. In Arizona, everything has been flipped upside down. Things Greek-Roman are deemed to be American and part of Western Civilization, whereas things Indigenous (MAS-TUSD Indigenous-maiz-based curriculum) are deemed to be un-American and alien.

That’s why many of us were arrested. In one sense, it’s a 42-year struggle; the same battle – one over legitimacy – that’s been waged since the creation of Ethnic Studies. At another level, it’s a 518-year clash of civilizations, even though it needn’t be (the civilizations can absolutely co-exist). Yet in actually, this is part of a battle to preserve and maintain (and to learn about) a 7,000-year AmerIndigenous maiz-based culture. Nothing less.

That’s why many students walked out in May. That’s why many were arrested. That’s why many continue to run, walk, vigil, protest and why others in the future – in the actual tradition of MLK Jr. – will commit to further acts of civil disobedience. We are not satisfied with hiding our culture in the home. And that’s why we welcome the OAS and the UN to examine Arizona’s lunacy in their forums and courtrooms.

At the moment, TUSD has until April 24 to be in compliance (elimination of MAS). One thing is certain, if it ever came to that, many of us will teach MAS/Indigenous Studies in front of the state building and/or the state capitol until the courts fix this symbol of the new Inquisition.

Rodriguez, a professor at the University, can be reached at: XColumn@gmail.com. It is also posted at: http://drcintli.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

DEMOCRACY NOW: "The Black Power Mixtape"–Danny Glover Discusses New Doc Featuring Rare Archival Footage of Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, Stokely CarmichaelWe broadcast from Park City, Utah, home of the Sundance Film Festival, the nation’s largest festival for independent cinema. One of this year’s selections that is creating a lot of buzz is a documentary called The Black Power Mixtape. The film features rare archival footage shot between 1967 and 1975 by two Swedish journalists and was discovered in the basement of Swedish public television 30 years later. We speak with renowned actor and activist Danny Glover, who co-produced The Black Power Mixtape.http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/24/the_black_power_mixtape_danny_glover

O'odham Unity Run BenefitFeb. 26, 2011, 10 am to 5 pm; Live show at 6 pmLocation Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Multi-Purpose Building, 1880 N. Longmore Rd., (NW corner of McDowell and Longmore) Salt River, ArizonaBy Alex Soto, Thomas Breeze MarcusCome help raise funds and food donations for our O'odham runners from Salt River, Gila River, Ak-Chin, Tohono O'odham and O'odham in Mexico as they make their journey from the Salt River Indian Community to Posa Verde, Mexico.We, members of all O'odham communities, will be hosting this benefit to help raise donations.Featuring Music performers DJ Element (Salt River,) Blackfire (Flagstaff,) Definition Rare (Albuquerque, NM,) Shining Soul & Darrell D (Phoenix and Tohono O'odham,) Cozmobrown & DJ Lingos (Tucson) and DJentrification (Phoenix.)Live Art By: Brez, Dumperfoo, Tha Nox (Tohono O'odham)LIVE PAINTING AND DEMOSTRADITIONAL O'ODHAM SONGS AND DANCEB-Boy Showcase (info soon to come)Skate Expo + Live Art 10am-5pmLive Show Begins At 6pm, $5 DONATION OR $3 W/food donations [prefered:rice, beans, flour, water, gatorade]If you like to donate, help with food, table, media or help in general, contact us.This year will be the 16th Annual O'odham Unity Run. The run will be March 14-20th, 2010Brief History of Unity Run:The Akimel O'odham, Hia-Ced O'odham and the Tohono O'odham have long been known for their expertise in long distance running in the desert regions of what is now southwestern United States and Mexico. For over 150 years the O'odham Nations have dealt with separation by the U.S./Mexico Borders. We do not acknowledge this separation within our culture; we encourage our unity to continue.The Unity Run was founded in 1995, by a small group of grassroots people from both sides of Mexico and the United States, consisting of Tohono O'odham and Akimel O'odham. The group's main goal is to bring awareness to the youth and adults the legacy that our ancestors gave to us centuries ago. The coordinators are actively working to perpetuate that which we inherited and for this to continue for the generations yet to come. Reinstating the tradition of running and the spirituality that comes with running is a challenge to help unite, preserve, heal and respect our history, language and culture. The Unity Run is highly recognized as a drug free, alcohol free and gang free cultural event.

US Diplomats in Wikileaks, Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsBy Brenda NorrellCensored NewsThere's some very important new information leaked in the Wikileaks diplomatic cables. There's also another category of ravings based on the US diplomats tainted view of the world and their imagined truths. These involve a great deal of insults to world leaders in Bolivia, Venezuela, Libya and elsewhere.There's still another category and these are lies, based on gossip, misinformation and US imperialism. Rigoberta Menchu responded to one of these cables and called the president of Guatemala a "liar." According to the US Ambassador, the Guatemalan president called her a "fabrication" and blamed her for a death, based on her resistance while defending the land. The cables have to be read carefully, and compared to other valid information, to discover what is truth and what is truth for a US diplomatic who may be suffering from isolation, visions of grandeur, paranoia, loneliness, white privilege or racism.Some of the cables are obviously the truth, like when the US Ambassador in Iceland says that Iceland's support of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, is an "impediment" to US/Iceland relations at the United Nations.On the other hand, it is difficult to discern the truth of other cables, including the one where the US attempts to deny that the Zetas, the most notorious murderers in Mexico's drug trafficking, were trained by US Special Forces. After being trained by the US as killing machines, they defected and became rogue security for narco traffickers. Although the US Ambassador in Mexico attempts to deny this, it is doubtful that the US actually checked the records of US Special Forces training of Guatemalans and Colombians, in the jungles of South America. But even the US Ambassador admits there's a lack of paper on such training, and that one Mexican special ops trained at Fort Bragg, N.C., was "forcibly" recruited into a life of crime with the Zetas."Critics of U.S. military training and conspiracy theorists have long speculated that members of the notoriously violent cartel Los ZETAS once received U.S.-funded special forces training. Since we cannot know the name of every Mexican soldier who has joined Los ZETAS, we cannot irrefutably reject this possibility," said John Feeley, deputy chief at Mexico's Embassy.Finally, there is a great deal of new information in Wikileaks. Consider this: The US Embassy in Indonesia asked for $100,000 to advertise on Facebook and promote Obama's visit to Indonesia. So, were do such funds, to advertise on Facebook for an elected official, actually come from? The US Embassy asked "R" for those funds.Along with the new information, there are important details, like how the US trains police in Chile. Chilean police brutally attacked Rapa Nui on Easter Island in December, including women and children. Rapa Nui said the billionaire president of Chile and a German hotel owner on Easter Island are responsible for these attacks on the aboriginal inhabitants of Easter Island.The Ambassador in Chile pointed to the Easter Islanders. A cable, describing Mapuche activists in Sept. 2009, reveals the US was watching the Easter Islanders: "Meanwhile, another indigenous group -- Easter Islanders -- seem to have been inspired by Mapuche activism, recently occupying the island's only airport for 24 hours in a successful effort to gain government attention to their demands."And when it comes to the profiteering from war and weapons sales, there's plenty of new info, like how Peru is concerned over US arms sales to Chile.What Wikileaks has given us in the diplomatic cables is an inside look into the dark recesses of the minds of US diplomats. It is not always a pretty place to be, or an honest one.There's also plenty of smut there, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's now famous command: Get DNA, e-mail passwords, credit card accounts and frequent flyer numbers, on world leaders.ZETAS CABLE released by Wikileaks on Wed., Jan. 26, 2011:http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/08/09MEXICO2473.html

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Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 35 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. Norrell has been a journalist in Indian country for 35 years. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the paying media for 11 years. Now in its 11th year with more than 16 million page views, Censored News has no ads, grants or revenues. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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The Rose of Love

"O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold." --Baha'u'llah, Baha'i Faith